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Bolian Solidarity Bureau
A branch of the Bolian government, charged with monitoring the activities of extremist fringe movements, those aimed at undermining the Bolian nation and severing ties between its component countries. The modern Bolians value the racial and planetary solidarity which allowed them to overcome dangerous national conflicts; at least, most Bolians do. It’s those who don’t that concern the BSB, which was established shortly after Bolarus IX's conditional acceptance as a member of the United Federation of Planets. The Quorum of Bole created the Bureau to help ensure their world’s fragile unity wasn’t threatened, at a time when isolationist fringe groups and extremes of nationalism were still reasonably common. The Bureau assisted diplomatic efforts to keep the wary nations of their world together; more importantly, it worked to track down violent dissident elements threatening the planet’s peace, including organizations hostile to the Federation. In more modern decades, now that Bolarus is firmly established in the UFP, the Bureau’s duties have expanded. It now functions as the law-enforcement arm of the Bolian government, dealing with crime on Bolarus IX and the colonies. Its jurisdiction is still somewhat disputed, though; local and national police forces don’t always tolerate BSB oversight. The Bureau also continues to monitor potential threats to Bolian unity, such as the fledgling Secessionist movement, which has so far remained peaceful. As is typical among Bolians, the Bureau prefers to handle matters quietly, behind the scenes, and so tends to keep a fairly low profile. The Bolian Solidarity Bureau is run by a council of three administrators, called the Triumvirate, one member chosen from each of the three major nation-states on Bolarus IX. The three work surprisingly well together, and the organization’s day-to-day operations are quite smooth, despite (or perhaps because of) the distribution of centralized authority. Below the Triumvirate are Regional Administrators for each of the major areas of the planet. These are followed by Local Overseers, who direct Bureau agents in the field. Lastly, there’s the field agents themselves, who perform investigations, apprehend criminals, and spend a great deal of time filling out datawork for the Bureau’s massive Central Archives. The Bureau chooses its agents carefully and personal politics, unfortunately, often becomes an issue. Bureau agents are expected to uphold the ideals of Bolian and Federation unity, but of course there’s disagreement as to what precisely those ideals are, and the form in which they manifest. There’s no lack of qualified candidates, though. While the Bureau cooperates wherever it can with Federation authorities, including Starfleet and the Federation Intelligence Service, they prefer to handle internal matters themselves, with as little outside interference as possible. This isn’t due to any prejudice or xenophobia on the part of the Bolians, more a matter of planetary and racial pride. The Bolians don’t want to be seen as “less civilized” than other Federation members, so they prefer to handle their domestic problems quietly, avoiding the notice of outsiders. Agents of the Bolian Solidarity Bureau are empowered to investigate any crimes that take place within the Bolarus system, that cross the lines of local jurisdictions, or in any way “threaten the unity and peace of Bolarus IX or the Bolian people”. The Bureau generally interprets these guidelines in as broad a manner as possible, allowing local authorities to handle minor crimes while the Bureau deals with international affairs, particularly crimes with political motives, like terrorism and sedition. They also handle smuggling and black market activities, along with any crime that involves aliens (especially those with potential to cause a diplomatic incident). BSB agents often receive information about a crime from local authorities or other informants (the latter in cases where the local forces bristle at BSB oversight), and begin their own investigation. Alternatively, they’re assigned a case by their superiors, based on information gathered by field agents. Once they’ve collected sufficient evidence, agents are authorized to attempt arrest and bring the perpetrators to justice. The Bureau is justifiably proud of its exemplary record, having handled interstellar smugglers and other high-profile criminals very smoothly in the past. Their most common obstacle is, ironically, the local authorities on Bolarus IX, who sometimes become very territorial when confronted with BSB agents snooping on their turf. Meanwhile, minority detractors of the Bureau claim that most of the interstellar criminals the Bureau has dealt with wouldn’t have come to Bolarus IX if it weren’t for the planet’s involvement in the Federation. The Bureau denies such allegations as foolish, as does the Bolian government. The greatest challenge facing the BSB as of 2420 is the Bolian Separatist Movement. The separatists threaten the very unity the Bureau is pledged to protect, while they see the BSB and its agents as icons of the “new order”, which they want to overturn. Thus, many separatist attacks have been aimed at the BSB and its personnel, making the matter intensely personal for many agents. The Bureau’s failure to solve the separatist problem with its usual speed resulted in the Quorum of Bole petitioning the Federation and Starfleet for assistance. This resulted in mixed feelings among BSB agents assigned to work with Federation personnel. On the one hand, they’re grateful for assistance but, on the other, the Bolians prefer to handle these matters on their own, and feel somewhat embarrassed in front of their alien colleagues. Category:Bolarus